The National Art Center, Japan's largest exhibition
facility, connects with the Roppongi downtown as an extension of
the street. As the trees surrounding the building grow the atrium
will become a forested public space.

Photo courtesy The National Art
Center

The large atrium is enclosed in an undulating glass curtain
wall, with exterior glass louvers to block direct light and
ultraviolet rays.

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Kurokawa also designed the new glass curtain wall for the
existing library building. The reflection of the new Art Center on
the facade makes a visual connection between the buildings.

Photo: arcspace

Visitors enter the atrium through a giant steel and glass cone,
after depositing their umbrellas in the circular pavilion.

The cone is lit by a circle of lights.

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

The building contains seven 2,000 square meter column-less
galleries, that can be divided up into smaller spaces by a series
of internal partitions. The partitions, each weighing 2.5 ton, can
be moved by two people.

Photo: arcspace

Skylights and translucent spaces between the wood slatted walls
admits daylight into the galleries.

Photo: arcspace

A vast outdoor exhibition space is located on the back side of
the building.

Photo: arcspaceThe Center also
contains a library, an auditorium, a restaurant, a cafe, a museum
shop, and a rooftop garden. The restaurant and café are located in
the upper part of two inverted concrete cones.

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Photo: arcspace

Five of the gallery spaces will be used for exhibitions by
Japan's art associations, collectives of artists working in a
particular media, that often have many hundreds of members.

The two remaining galleries, one with a ceiling height of five
meters, the other eight meters, will be used for "special
exhibition" of contemporary art organized by the Center itself, or
in collaboration with other institutions and newspaper
companies.

Image courtesy The National Art
CenterConcept
sketchModel photo courtesy The National Art
Center

Model photo courtesy The National Art
Center

The National Art Center, together with the Mori Art Museum and
the the new Suntory Museum of Art, opening in Spring of 2007, will
form the "Art Triangle Roppongi," establishing Roppongi as one of
Tokyo's major cultural centers.